Harness



March 7, 1950 JACKSON 2,500,079

HARNESS Filed Oct. 9, 1947 THOMAS E. JACKSON BY ATTORN EY Patented Mar. 7, 1950 Z,5bb,079

HARNESS Thomas E. Jackson, Zanesville,.0hio, assignor, by

mesne assignments, of. one-half to llhe Glyde- Rite Corn, Zanesville, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 9, 1947, Serial N0. 778,944

This invention relates to harness, and more particularly to an improved hopple for controlling the gait of pacing horses.

Heretof-ore it has been the practice to make such hopples of leather or from rawhide. However, such construction hasnot been entirely satisfactory since, such hopples require the use. of special materials, such. as calfskin and the like, for covering the leg rings toprevent chafiing. Also, such hopples generally re uire padding around the neck strap to. preventsliop ng as well as chairing. It, is also necessary with such. hopples. to use relatively heavy straps having. sufficient strength to withstand. the sudden shock or strain imparted. to the hopple when the horse lunges or breaks. its gait.v Thus. the leather or rawhide must be heavy enough to withstand and absorb the sudden shock. caused by such action on. the part of, the horse- Such. action, however, in due time permitsthe leg rings to. stretch,,and the hopple starts to sag or swing up and down and no longer rides straight. and, smoothly on the horse's sides and. withers, which further tends to encourage the horse tobreak.

Another defect or fault, in. present hopples is caused by the relatively rough surface. of the leather tending to pull the hair around the horses legs, withers and sides, which irritates the skin. The heat and. friction from, the, rub.- bing of the hopple then. tends to further irritate or burn the skin wh ch; intime, may become infected and sore. This condition is, aggravated by the fact that the leather is generally toxic due to the absorbing of. sweat and dirt which is ground into the leather and cannot be removed easily.

A further defect in the use of leather hopples arises from their tendency to turn, twist and crack, particularly in cold weather, which in addition to making it difiicult to handle prevents it from conforming properly to the sides and withers of the horse whereby further chafling and rubbing results.

One of the objects of the present invention is to overcome the above noted defects. and to provide an improved hopplewhich is lighter in we ght and stronger than present hopples, which follows the horses stride; riding in a substantially straight line when the horse is pacing, andwhich is so balanced in'wei'ght" between the leg rings and the adjusting-straps'connectingtherebetween as to prevent'bowingout when the horse is pulling, or sagging when they hopple is wet, or even after it has been used for a relati'velylong period of; time. v v.

4 Claims. (Cl. 5471) Another object is to provide a substantially lighter weight hopple than can be constructed of leather, which is strong enough to withstand safely the required shock and strain normally imparted to a hopple, which does not tend to rub, chaff or pull hair, and which does not pick up and carry moisture,dirt and sweat, and thereby facilitates the maintenance of the hopple in a clean and nontoxic condition.

It is also an object to provide a hopple which will wear longer and can be manufactured substantially cheaper than leather by a forming process which eliminates the necessity for handwork, such as lacing and stitching, and which can be constructed in various bright and nonfading colors of extruded pieces of resinous material connected by heat sealing to form substantially continuous one piece members with sections having a predetermined shape or form along the surface contour in contact with the hide which is adapted to prevent rubbing, chaffing and pulling of hairs.

A further object is to provide a safer, lightweight hopple having smooth, straight and evenly 25 balanced riding qualities, which is adapted to overcome breaking on the part of the horse, and which has the adjusting strap connecting the leg rings formed as an integral part of one of the rings and thereby requiring only a single buckle for adjustment, the weight of the leg rings and ad.- justing strap being varied with respect to each other so as to, balance and ride w thout sagging.

An additional object is to provide an improved hopple of the character described in which the leg rings and connecting straps are constructed of substantially lighter weight pieces of molded plastic which provide a balanced weight whereby better rid ng qualities are obtained, which does not change even when wet, or after long periods of use, and which does not pick up and carry dust and dirt particles as does the usual leather hopple.

Still another object is to provide a hopple of plastic material which cannot rot or otherwise deteriorate to any determinable extent from being subjected to heat, moisture and sweat, which does not require oils or soap to maintain it in a clean, nontoxic condition, yet which presents a smooth, brightly colored and specially contoured flexible surface free of any tendency to chaff the skin or pull hair, and which can be formed with the uprights for the carrying straps, supporting members and leg ring Spreaders as an integral part of the hopple without requiring stitching or lacing therefor. v

Also another object is to provide a hopple in which the mid-portion has sufficient elasticity to absorb the shock of a hard pacing stride without throwing the horse off gait.

Other objects and advantages of this invent on will be apparent from the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing a hopple constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the front and hind leg rings and adjusting strap on one side of the hopple shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale partially in vertical section and in elevation taken substantia ly on the plane 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 taken substantially on the plane 44 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a View also similar to F g. 3 taken subst ntially on the plane 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring further to the drawings, the hopple illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises in general a pair of front leg rings 20 and 2| connected by means of the ad usting straos 22 and 23 to the hind leg rings 24 and 25. The front leg rings in turn are provided with a pair of uprights 26 and 21 to which the lower ends of the neck strap 28 are connected. On the rear portions of the front leg rings similarly formed uprights 3| and 32 are provided to which are attached the free ends of a carrying strap 33 which is ada ted to fit over the back of the horse. The adjusting straps 22, 23 are also provided with uprig ts 34 and 35 to wh ch the free ends of the carrying strap 36 are fastened. U ri hts 31 and 38 forming a part of the hind leg rings 24. 25 are in turn connected to the rear carrying strap 4| In constructing this hoople it has been found that to secure an even and balanced ride with respect to the front and hind leg rin s and their adjusting strap, and to secure the other advantages and features heretofore ment oned, the hopple as described can best be formed from a plastic material, such as the vinyl resin, for exam le, which is sold under the trade-name Geon. This material can be colored as desired and extruded in the form of straps of the proper weight and dimensions, having as well a. predetermined form of surface contour, to provide a bobble of the character described. It is to be understood, however, that other types of plast c material providing these character stics can be used if desired.

In forming one of the front leg rin s. 2| for example. the plastic material s extruded in the form of a one-piece strap 23, Fig. 3, the inner surface of which is smoothly curved, and which is sufficiently flex ble to be bent in the shape of a loop substantially as shown in Fig. 2. The ends of strap 29 are folded over to form a closed loop 30 in which the connecting ring 42 is inserted. Upright or tab 3|, with its connecting buckle 43 already attached, is also inserted with its lower end sealed within the closed loop 30 to position and hold it securely. The free ends of strap 25 are then heat sealed to form a smooth strong joint, as at 44, which provides a substantially continuous one-piece leg ring. Upright or tab 2! is also secured to the front leg ring b heat sealing it to the upper surface as shown in Fig. 3. If it is desired to additionally reinforce the uprights a substantially triangular shaped wedge member 45 is sealed in position along the base of the upright and against the upper surface of the leg ring. A spreader 46 of similarly formed plastic material can be positioned across the interior of the open loop 41 to hold the leg ring in a substantially extended or open position if such is desired. The other front leg ring 20 is similarly formed.

The hind leg ring and adjusting straps, 23 and 25 for example, can be formed also from a single strap of extruded plastic material. It is preferred, however, to form them as separate members the free ends of which are later connected as by means of a heat seal, as at 48, to provide a continuous and substantially one-piece combined leg ring and adjusting strap. The uprights 35 and 31 are secured in position and reinforced if desired, as previously described in connection with the uprights 21 and 3| and as illustrated at 45. A buckle 49 is then connected to the free end of the strap 50 forming the hind leg ring. This buckle receives the free end of the strap 5| after it has been passed through the connecting ring 42 in the form of a flat or closed loop to provide the necessary adjustment in the usual manner. Slidable plastic loops 52 and 53 are provided to retain the loose or free end of strap 5| in the usual manner after the adjustment is made. A fixed loop 54 is also provided for the closed loop portion. This loop is retained in position close to ring 42 by means of a short strip 55 of plastic sealed at one end to the loop 54 and at the other end to the inner surface of the front leg ring 2 I. Hind leg ring and strap 22 and 24 are similarly constructed. The hind leg rings 24 and 25 can also be provided with a spreader 46 if desired, as previously described, which is positioned across the loops to hold them in an open position substantially as shown.

In forming the straps for the front and hind leg rings it is preferred that they be provided with a central core comprising a single piece of steel wire 60, Figs. 2 and 3. This wire has a substantially circular cross section and is of about #10 gauge in weight. The wire forms a stiffener which helps to provide for holding both the front and hind leg rings in their proper shape after they are formed, prevents their sagging, and also serves to control any expansion of the plastic which tends to take place when heat is applied thereto, and limits any such to a minimum. Wire also facilitates holding the leg rings in position to obtain balanced riding qualities. Also in forming the strap of which the front and hind leg rings are constructed, it is to be noted that the inner surface of the ring, as shown for example in Fig. 3 and which is the surface contacting the hide of the horses legs, is constructed to provide a smoothly curved surface contour as at 63 which is perferably substantially oval in shape as shown.

To secure the proper balance and riding qualities, the combined weight of the front and hind leg rings should be substantially equal to the weight of the adjusting strap connecting therebetween together with the buckle and strap loops. To provide for this balance the leg rings are constructed so that their vertical height, as measured in a vertical plane between the points 64 and 65 in Fig. 3, is approximately of an inch. The thickness of the leg ring straps, as measured along a horizontal plane between the points 66 and 61, is then made approximately of an inch. To compensate for the additional weight of the buckle 49 and the loops 52, 53 and 54 the weight of the adjusting strap portion 23 is controlled by decreasing the thickness of each strap, as measured in a horizontal plane between the points 68 and H, Fig. 5, to A of an inch approximately while the vertical height remains substantially of an inch. The adjusting strap portion being thinner in cross section is lighter in weight than either of the leg rings. For example, in one form the front leg ring may weigh approximately 8 ounces and the adjusting strap 6 ounces. Where the hind leg ring is made about 2 inches longer than the front leg ring, its weight, including the stiffening wire 60 may be as much as 16 ounces. However, it is preferable that the combined weight of the front and hind leg ring is made substantially equal to the weight of the connecting adjusting strap, together with the buckle and the loops, which provides for a smooth and balanced riding quality which cannot other wise be obtained.

It is to be noted also that with the above described construction the hopple has a mid-portion between the front and hind leg rings formed to provide sufficient elasticity to absorb the shock of a hard pacing stride Without throwing the horse off gait.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is provided a strong, light Weight and weatherproof hopple for controlling the gait of a horse which is so constructed and balanced in weight as to follow the stride in a substantially straight line when the horse is pacing. Furthermore this hopple is constructed of a material which can be kept in a sanitary and nontoxic condition with a minimum of efi'ort and time, and which is formed to present a curved surface in contact with the hide which is so smooth as to prevent the rubbing or chafling of the skin and the pulling of hair.

While the forms of embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In a hopple for controlling the gait or a horse, a front leg ring formed of plastic material, a combined one-piece hind leg ring and adjusting strap formed of plastic material connected to said front leg ring, and supporting tabs connected thereto for attaching to carrying straps, said tabs having reinforcing webs extend ing along the lower part thereof to provide additional support therefor.

2. In a hopple for controlling the gait of a horse, a plastic front leg ring, a plastic hind leg ring, and a plastic adjusting strap connecting between said front and hind leg rings, said leg rings having a combined weight substantially equal to that of said strap to provide a balanced riding quality.

3. In a hopple for controlling the gait of a horse, a plastic leg ring, and a combined leg ring and adjusting strap formed of plastic material connected to the first said leg ring, the ends of said combined leg ring and strap being fastened by means of a buckle, said leg rings having a sufficiently greater thickness than said strap to provide a combined weight thereof substantially equal to that of the strap and buckle, the leg rings and strap thereby providing a balanced riding quality.

4. In a hopple for controlling the gait of a horse, a plastic front leg ring, a plastic hind leg ring said front and hind leg rings having a wire core formed therein, and a plastic adjusting strap connecting between said front and hind leg rings, said leg rings having a combined weight substantially equal to that of said strap to provide a balanced riding quality.

THOMAS E. JACKSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the filc of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 594,502 Trice Nov. 30, 1897 905,453 Phillips Dec. 1, 1908 969,203 Sell Sept. 6, 1910 1,455,341 Kopf May 15, 1923 1,782,835 Wiinsche Nov. 25, 1930 

